Monthly Archives: April 2016

Taiwan Beer hold off rally to win Game 3 82-77

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 20, 2016
By: Paul Huang / Contributing reporter

After nearly squandering a 23-point lead at one point in the first half, second-seeded Taiwan Beer held off a late-game rally by top-seeded Pure Youth Construction by converting six straight free throws to take Game 3 of the Super Basketball League Finals by an 82-77 margin at the Kaohsiung Feng Shan Gymnasium last night.

It was the second straight win that the Brew Crew registered after dropping the opener in Kaohsiung on Saturday evening as they took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, two wins shy of their fourth league title in franchise history.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan shares end below 8,700 points

 

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-19
By: By Jeffrey Wu and Evelyn Kao, Central News Agency

Shares in Taiwan closed lower, below the 8,700 point-mark Tuesday, led by Apple-concept stocks, as smartphone supply chains in Japan were disrupted by a series of earthquakes there last week, dealers said.

The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange closed down 32.29 points, or 0.37 percent, at 8,633.72, after moving between 8,743.35 and 8,627.29. Turnover totaled NT$80.34 billion (US$2.49 billion) during the session.

The index opened up 35.74 points and rose to the day’s high as investors were encouraged by a higher Wall Street, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 100 points overnight.

Financial and electronics stocks were comparatively weak, with the bellwether electronics sector losing 0.68 percent, while the financial segment shed 0.49 percent.     [FULL  STORY]

 

Taiwanese company develops advanced car safety system

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/19
By: Pan Chih-yi and Elaine Hou

Taipei, April 19 (CNA) A Taiwanese video and image design company has 201604190031t0001developed an advanced car safety system that allows for a wider scope to monitor driving safety, which is being showcased at a security manufacturing trade show that kicked off Tuesday in Taipei.

The system, developed by Hi Sharp Electronics Co., can be connected to a central control system and integrated with cloud computing technologies, the company said.

This system can not only be used to monitor an individual vehicle but can also be used to monitor many vehicles simultaneously, the company said.

In the event of a car accident, the detailed data collected on the system can be used to better help the police with the investigation, it said.     [FULL  STORY]

Hermes Microvision expects Q2 rebound

SEMICONDUCTOR LINKED:Chief executive Jack Jau said that the firm expects revenue to grow between 50 and 80 percent, allowing it to maintain margins and profitability

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 20, 2016
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Hermes Microvision Inc (HMI, 漢微科) yesterday said it expects revenues to soar as high as 80 percent sequentially this quarter, partly helped by a major client who is resuming using its inspection tools for next-generation semiconductor technology development.

Due to the slump in the semiconductor industry and growing technological barriers, customers became cautious about investing in equipment for next-generation technology, which dealt a blow to the tool-and-equipment maker’s businesses in recent quarters.

HMI’s net income last quarter plummeted 65 percent to NT$253 million (US$7.84 million), or NT$3.55 per share, from the previous quarter’s NT$726 million, or NT$10.22 a share.

On an annual basis, net income shrank 42 percent from NT$440 million, or NT$6.17 per share.     [FULL  STORY]

China forces Taiwan out of steel meeting

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-19
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan protested Tuesday against the expulsion of its

Taiwan protested on April 19 against the expulsion of its delegation from an Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development steel committee meeting in Belgium after pressure from China.

Taiwan protested on April 19 against the expulsion of its delegation from an Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development steel committee meeting in Belgium after pressure from China.

delegation from an Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development steel committee meeting in Belgium after pressure from China.
Beijing reportedly said that Taiwan’s delegation was not “high-level” enough for the April 18 event, termed the “High-Level Symposium on Excess Capacity and Structural Adjustment in the Steel Sector.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said several other delegations were of the same level of Taiwan’s, and it had lodged protests with China through the Mainland Affairs Council, with Belgium through Taiwan’s office in Brussels and with the Paris-based OECD through the country’s office in France. Belgium reportedly later apologized to Taiwan, saying its vice premier, Kris Peeters, had been facing strong pressure and could only ask the Taiwanese delegation to leave.

Taiwan had been invited to the event as a “conversation partner,” but once the event started, China exerted pressure for its expulsion, and the Belgian government agreed, asking Taiwan to leave. This was the first time since the country started participating in the event in 2005 as an observer that it was forced to leave, MOFA said.     [FULL  STORY]

Six Taiwanese phone fraud suspects arrested in Vietnam

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/19
By: Tai ya-chen and Christie Chen

Taipei, April 19 (CNA) Vietnamese police cracked a cross-border phone fraud ring in Ho Chi Minh City on April 16 and arrested several suspects, including six Taiwanese nationals, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.

The six Taiwanese suspects are currently detained in a prison in southern Vietnam’s Bình Dương Province, the MOFA said.

According to initial investigations, the prime suspect is a Vietnamese national who was naturalized as a Taiwanese citizen, and all of the over 10 victims are Vietnamese nationals, according to the MOFA.

The fraud ring accumulated illegal gains of around NT$8.25 million (US$256,636), the ministry said.

According to Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre newspaper, the prime suspects, a 26-year-old Taiwanese man and his 38-year-old Vietnamese Taiwanese wife, based their fraud ring in Vietnam and recruited several Vi     [FULL  STORY]

Fall in Chinese tourists political issue, Ma says

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 20, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said a recent decrease in the number of tourists from China is a political matter.

Ma told a delegation from the Monte Jade Science and Technology Association that foreign visitor arrivals to Taiwan reached 10.43 million last year, more than triple the 3.71 million per year average before he assumed office in 2008.

The Tourism Bureau has attributed the significant growth in tourist arrivals to cross-strait peace and liberalization during his term, Ma said.

Ma said that when he met with Kaohsiung residents on Sunday, they expressed concern about the falling number of visitor arrivals, a trend that he said is likely to get worse.

“Everyone knows that this is not a business issue, but rather a political one,” Ma said.

Since president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) won the presidential election on Jan. 16, there have been reports of China sending fewer tourists to Taiwan as a type of “political boycott” of the incoming Democratic Progressive Party administration that is to be sworn in on May 20.     [FULL  STORY]

Senior U.S. representative expected on May 20: MOFA

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-19
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday said that support from U.S. 6749112friends will not change and the U.S. will send a senior representative to attend President-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s inauguration ceremony on May 20.

MOFA’s statement came after Hank Zuber, representative in the Mississippi House, posted on his Facebook page on Feb. 19, saying that he had received a warning letter from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Houston.

The letter says the Chinese government doesn’t expect Zuber or other representatives to attend any inaugural ceremonies or correspondence with President-elect Tsai and that adoption of resolutions in the legislative assembly and official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan are also not welcomed.

According to Zuber’s post, he “coauthors supporting resolutions and meets the visiting Taiwanese delegation annually.”

The MOFA said that it has noticed the unfriendly gesture made by China’s representative in Houston.     [FULL  STORY]

Fair weather to last until Saturday

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/19

(CNA file photo)

Taipei, April 19 (CNA) The weather around Taiwan is expected to be fair and 17640182stable until another weather front arrives on Saturday, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Tuesday.

After a chilly morning, temperatures on Tuesday could rise to 25 or 26 degrees Celsius in the north and the east and up to around 30 degrees in central and southern Taiwan under cloudy or sunny conditions, according to the CWB.

Only the mountainous areas in western Taiwan and parts of eastern Taiwan will have chances of brief showers Tuesday, the bureau said.

A weather front is expected to arrive on Saturday but it remains to be seen how much it will affect the weather around Taiwan, it said.     [FULL  STORY]

Therapy dog program makes Taiwan more animal-friendly

Taiwan Today
Date: April 19, 2016

A training program turning sheltered dogs into therapy canines is underway in

A therapy dog assists a senior during a rehabilitation session in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City. (Courtesy of Bocheng Long-term Care Services)

A therapy dog assists a senior during a rehabilitation session in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City. (Courtesy of Bocheng Long-term Care Services)

Taipei City, reflecting a rising awareness of the importance of animal welfare in Taiwan.

Established by the local government’s Animal Protection Office, the program selects suitable candidates and arranges for their training and matching with owners by Taipei-headquartered Formosa Animal-Assisted Activity and Therapy Association. Since FAAATA’s founding in 1999, it has trained more than 300 dogs.

Association trainer Teng Hui-chin said dog therapists can assist the elderly, infirm and young undertake various kinds of rehabilitation exercises not possible with human therapists or assistive devices. “But it’s their companionship that makes all the difference when it comes to enhancing the psychological well-being of patients.”

During the launch of the program April 11, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said the initiative is an extension of a service dog plan introduced late last year. “In addition to finding a permanent home for these canines, it offers the animals a chance to prove invaluable helpers and make a real contribution to society.”     [FULL  STORY]